Doug Lesmerisis wrote about what he's seen during the first few days of OTAs, including how Austin Corbett is looking.
Doug kept repeating repeatedly "it's very early", but based on the reader comments I read, I'm one of a very few who read that part, and I'm sure Doug himself is stunned.
Doug says that the Coaches are "all over" Corbett, correcting his hands and feet, while taking the rest of the guys for granted.
Certainly, this makes me nervous, but like Doug said over and over and over again, it's still very early.
I wrote about how difficult it is for players to move from the left to the right side of the center, and this is part of Corbett's problem.
I know that last season he was working at center and guard, but don't know if he ever worked at right guard. Even if he did, he got limited reps there.
Austin Corbett played nothing but left tackle for most of his life. He came to the Browns hard-wired to do everything the opposite of the way he has to do it now.
His body wants to lead with the wrong foot, and use the wrong hand...can't you see how these reversions might be what is making Campen yell at him? Playing on the right side still feels unnatural to him.
Nah, I'm not saying to forget Doug's critique because Corbett can't miss. I'm nervous about this, too; especially since Doug said that 2019 draft pick Forbes looked about the same as Corbett.
But oh, those comments!!! Corbett is a bust already! He sucks! Jeez you people...wow.
Anyway, John Dorsey brought in a whole bunch of insurance, with two solid veterans with a lot of starting experience. Ideally, Austin Corbett gets the hang of RG and wins the starting job, because he's the guy with elite upside. But there is a backup plan, ok?
Genard Avery was lining up at DE (with his hand in the dirt), but I strongly suspect that this was experimental. Avery doesn't have the length to come out of a 3-point stance and engage 6'6" Offensive Tackles, but might have the first step to get under their pads, like Elvis Dummerville.
Doug saw him mainly with the third teams, and not at all at off-the-ball linebacker.
I wouldn't read too much into that. Unlike with Austin Corbett, I'm certain that Steve Wilks and company are experimenting with a bunch of defensive players in various roles to get a feel for their unique skill-sets.
Probably every team with a new DC and scheme do this during the first few days.
Correction: Genard Avery was not exclusively a stand-up passrushing DE in college. He lined up all over the place, and was in coverage a fair amount of time (sufficient for PFF to give him an above average coverage grade).
The Avery at DE experiment is informative, however. Steve Wilks is quite prepared to use smaller, faster guys on the edge, at least situationally, and wierd fronts.
Takitaki was a Defensive End until his final college season, by the way. Avery is an inch shorter, but heavier and stronger, so they're probably trying to figure out if he can do Takitaki stuff.
That's part of building a Defensive scheme. You try to have at least two players for each niche-role, so you don't have to delete a section of your playbook if a guy gets injured.
Predictably, Rodney Hilliardfield has predictably improved a lot since his first rookie season (shocking, I know!)
Obviously, in shells the runs mean nothing, but the pass-catching really does mean a lot, and Dontrell is winning a lot of battles against some pretty damn good coverage.
John Dorsey didn't draft Duke Johnson, folks, and WILL trade him the instant he gets a solid offer. Dontrell Hilliard is here to replace him.
Binniss is binniss.
Undrafted CB Jhavonte Dean had an impressive first day, but has been "quiet" since.
He still has a good chance at making the final roster due to his great athleticism, stature, and traits.
Like Rodney Ratleyfield, Dean is a beanpole (6'2", 185 lbs), and can probably get pushed around by the big receivers he'll need to cover, so he's probably going to take some time to develop.
But he's incredibly fast; possibly faster than Ward. Once Hans and Franz pump him up, Jhavonte Dean should compete for playing time (probably in 2020).
CORRECTION: The 2019 Browns will NOT use 3 Wide Receivers "almost exclusively".
I know that Todd Monken is an "Air Raid" guy and Baker was an Air Raid Quarterback, but Freddie Kitchens is in charge now.
In 2018, Kitchens used up to 3 RBs or TEs a lot (and very effectively). Baker Mayfield thrived.
Monken also is a big Run/Pass Option guy, and that requires a legit running game. That almost always means at least one tight end, and often a second running back or tight end.
Check out the offseason signings; count the tight ends (including those who can play fullback), and please note that running backs who can't catch passes down field need not apply here.
Certainly, with these top 3 Wide Receivers, the 2019 Browns will use all 3 at least half the time, but dammit, words mean things, and when you say "almost exclusively", you are lazy, hazy, and...well I would never hire you to paint my house, because I don't want to be scraping paint off my WINDOWS and like my shrubbery alive, ok?
Idiocracy. Seriously. It gets dumber every year.
John Dorsey let Darren Fells go, but signed Demetrius Harris to replace him. Harris is a BLOCKING Tight End. Orson Charles is a blocker first. Seth DeValve is trade-bait first, but a FB/H-back second.
Psst! Shhh! Gregg Robinson? He aint all that, see? See, Mayfield got ridda da ball quick, or scrambled and made big plays on da run, see? And shhh...but see, dis Kitchens...he uses Tight Ends to chip deze edge-rushers, see?
Don't tell nobody you hoid it from me, see?
Seriously, it's not a secret. It just SEEMS like one, because nobody else (except a couple guys on NFL Radio) comprehend this.
CORRECTION: Baker Mayfield is "sophomore slump"-proof. Terry Pluto was pretty lame, as he said that Mayfield is dedicated and obsessed (and terminally pist off), so it wouldn't happen to him.
I REPEAT: Baker Mayfield has no weaknesses for defenses to exploit. He doesn't even have any tendancies. The best you can do is "herd" him to his left, because he's right-handed.
I suppose you could try to trap him in a pocket and hope he can't see anything over the skyscrapers in front of him, but other than that, Baker Mayfield has no exploitable weaknesses.
Quarterbacks catch "sophomore slumps" when opposing Defensive Coordinators discover that he throws it away (or forces it) vs inside pressure, is less accurate to the short right side, hesitates on deep passes to the right or left corner, tends to hold the ball, etc.
If you didn't have Stockholm Syndrome, you would agree with the national guys (except Colon, of course) that Baker Mayfield is already a top 10 NFL QB, and will be even better in 2019 than he was in his rookie season.
DUH.
CORRECTION: If Austin Corbett isn't good enough to start at Right Guard, it's not a disaster.
Kush and Kalis are proven veteran starters; both well above average in pass-protection.
They're below average as run-blockers, but the Kitchens/Monken offense will zone-block a lot, and rely heavily on the instincts of their running backs.
That's not a "throwaway line", you people: Even if your right guard isn't a great athlete, it's the running back who makes it work, and the 2019 Browns are eyeball deep in one-cut running backs.
...well I'll explain further yet again later, but for now, a zone running back runs at a (downhill) angle towards the sideline, and has no specific hole to hit. He simply looks for "daylight" in the chaos in front of him, and when he sees it, darts into it (or accellerates outside if that's all he's got). Ebineezer Bell is the ideal zone running back---even though the Steelers man-blocked a lot--but Bell is the best example I could find.
Now, Hue Jackson (and maybe Todd Haley too) was a cave man. He insisted on "G-Power" man-blocking, no madder wudd.
Full circle: If Austin Corbett doesn't start at RG, it's not a disaster. The other guys are terrific pass-protectors, and the Browns' exceptional running backs can overcome weak blocking from a specific position...
Aw dammit the ideal zone-blocking guards are genuine athletes who can find and neutralize linebackers in space, see?
But ALL Offensive Linemen can execute "step one", and engage a Defensive Lineman (or occasionally a linebacker).
Step 2 is (sometimes) releasing (handing off) the blocked defender and going upfield linebacker-hunting.
Well, often the guards who excel in pass protection can do ok as inside zone blockers. They're nimble, and athletic.
Corbett is the best athlete, and (hysterical permabasher bullcrap aside) a powerful run-blocker, but this offense should work almost as well if one of Dorsey's veteran journeymen start at RG instead.
Rodney Harrisonfield is still here, but obviously Greg Robinson has set the bar impossibly high.
Bullshit. If you have written Desmond Harrison off, you need a brain transplant. For that matter, don't assume that Robinson is trade-proof in 2019, either.
...Oh sorry. Confused? Shocked? Why?
I get it: YOU think Greg Robinson is why Baker Mayfield was sack-proof for much of 2018.
Nah! In case my earlier comments here (and previous posts) zinged over your head, Freddie Kitchens ran more West Coast/quick timing stuff, chipped Edge guys with Tight Ends, zone-blocked, used RPOs, 3 Running Backs, 3 Tight Ends, more runs in general...
Wow you think Greg Robinson did all that, really? You've already interred Desmond Harrison?
Don't get me wrong here: Greg Robinson DID do a fine job, and does not suck. But his "bar" was extremely low. He rarely had to protect for over 3 seconds, and more often than not had TE help.
You people...
Desmond Harrison has at least a 50/50 shot at a starting tackle spot, because he is physically superior to everybody else, and is dirt-cheap.
I guess my next post should be "Business 101". None of you people seem to get ANY of this.
Id
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